Alleged N32.152Bn Infractions: House Of Reps Probes NUPRC CEO, Komolafe

Following allegation of revenue leakages of about N32,152 billion that was expected to accrue into the coffers of the Federal Government between 2015 to 2022, the House of Representatives last week Thursday, issued a 96-hour ultimatum on the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe within which to appear before it and explain.

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidele Salam, who gave the ultimatum, expressed serious concerns regarding the revenue leakages and non-compliance with standard operating procedures by the NUPRC.

Having perused through the documents submitted to the Committee, the Reps members noted that N909,392,169.74 was transferred directly to private accounts domiciled with Deposit Money Banks without adhering to TSA protocols.

The investigation by the Committee also highlighted significant discrepancies, including N15,476,269,397.10 in transactions listed in Remita that were absent from the NUPRC data set, as well as the sum of N6,332,212,384.25 in transactions from the NUPRC data set that did not appear in Remita.

The House Committee also noted that there were notable value discrepancies in transactions between Remita and NUPRC, with N388,103,353.31 reported lower and N909,392,169.74 reported higher in Remita.

Accordingly, the committee directed Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, along with other officials, to appear before it tomorrow, October 28, 2024 to explain the alleged infractions.

Some of the committee members who spoke during the session highlighted the need to ensure effective financial management and transparency within the NUPRC, thus, called for a thorough investigation into what they described as “alarming irregularities”.